CYBERSPORTS GO ARGUE WITH THE GUYS WHO FEED THE COMPUTER.

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

Washington's last-second win over USC on Saturday certainly didn't hurt the Huskies' place in the college football polls. Especially on the Anderson and Hester Seattle Times computer rankings, where they were already No. 1 going into the contest.

Jeff Anderson and Chris Hester - two UW alums, by the way - have used the same formula for their rankings since 1993, computing strength of schedule based on conference strength and determining quality victories with a deemphasis on the score margin.

The reason it has caused some stir is that it's one of five computer polls used in the Bowl Championship Series equation to determine the eventual national champion. And so far, it looks nothing like the Associated Press writers' poll or the USA Today coaches' poll.

For the first look at the latest computation, check out the Seattle Times Web site (www.seattletimes.nwsource.com/sports/collegefb/STpoll.html). There's also a place to argue the case via e-mail to both Hester (chester(at)hotmail.com) and Anderson (on his own site at www.andersonsports.com).

--The NFL, with the league's players association, is participating in eBay.com's Auction for America program, which will attempt to raise $100 million in 100 days to support the families and communities affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Items donated by the NFL that are up for bid, including things like Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin's game-used FDNY cap, can be found on www.nfl.com/auctions.

Meanwhile, Yahoo Auctions is helping the MLB Wives Relief Auction (www.bigleagers.yahoo.com) raise donations for The September 11th Fund by putting items up for bid through the next several weeks.

In addition, a ``United We Stand'' T-shirt designed by Phillies pitcher Nelson Figueroa is available for a minimum $15 donation.

--Real Legends (www.reallegends.com), with the help of the Baseball Writers Association of America, started an auction through eBay.com on Oct. 5 that will raise money to assist the family of the late L.A. sportswriter Terry Johnson. Many current and former athletes have donated items.

--The Clippers are the first NBA team to sign a deal with San Francisco-based LiquidSeats that will let fans use their site (www.stubhub.com) for the legal resale of tickets.

Sellers post tickets for sale at a fixed price or auction format and get e-mail notification when someone is interested in buying.

The only other pro teams trying this system are baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners.